1) The Blessed Lord said: I
instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed
it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.

2) This supreme science was
thus received through the chain of disciplic
succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of
time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to
be lost.

3) That very ancient
science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore
you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.

4) Arjuna
said: The sun-god Vivasvan is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?

5) The Blessed Lord said: Many,
many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you
cannot, O subduer of the enemy!

6) Although I am unborn and
My transcendental body never deteriorates, and
although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every
millennium in My original transcendental form.

7) Whenever and wherever
there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata,
and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend Myself.

8) In order to deliver the
pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles
of religion, I advent Myself millennium after
millennium.

9) One who knows the
transcendental nature of My appearance and activities
does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but
attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

10) Being freed from
attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me,
many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me--and thus
they all attained transcendental love for Me.

11) All of them--as they
surrender unto Me--I reward accordingly. Everyone
follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.

12) Men in this world
desire success in fruitive activities, and therefore
they worship the demigods. Quickly, of course, men get results from fruitive work in this world.

13) According to the three
modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of
human society were created by Me. And, although I am
the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being
unchangeable.

14) There is no work that
affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One
who understands this truth about Me also does not
become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.

15) All the liberated souls
in ancient times acted with this understanding and so attained liberation. Therefore,
as the ancients, you should perform your duty in this divine consciousness.

16) Even the intelligent
are bewildered in determining what is action and what
is inaction. Now I shall explain to you what action is, knowing which you shall
be liberated from all sins.

17) The intricacies of
action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what
action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is.

18) One who sees inaction
in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent
among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in all
sorts of activities.

19) One is understood to be
in full knowledge whose every act is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He
is said by sages to be a worker whose fruitive action
is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.

20) Abandoning all
attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and independent, he
performs no fruitive action, although engaged in all
kinds of undertakings.

21) Such a man of
understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled,
gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions and acts only for the
bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reactions.

22) He who is satisfied
with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not
envy, who is steady both in success and failure, is never entangled, although performing
actions.

23) The work of a man who
is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in
transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence.

24) A person who is fully
absorbed in Krsna consciousness is sure to attain the
spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities, in
which the consummation is absolute and that which is offered is of the same
spiritual nature.

25) Some yogis perfectly
worship the demigods by offering different sacrifices to them, and some of them
offer sacrifices in the fire of the Supreme Brahman.

26) Some of them sacrifice
the hearing process and the senses in the fire of the controlled mind, and
others sacrifice the objects of the senses, such as sound, in the fire of
sacrifice.

27) Those who are
interested in self-realization, in terms of mind and sense control, offer the
functions of all the senses, as well as the vital force [breath], as oblations
into the fire of the controlled mind.

28) There are others who, enlightened
by sacrificing their material possessions in severe austerities, take strict
vows and practice the yoga of eightfold mysticism, and
others study the Vedas for the advancement of transcendental knowledge.

29) And there are even
others who are inclined to the process of breath restraint to remain in trance,
and they practice stopping the movement of the outgoing breath into the
incoming, and incoming breath into the outgoing, and thus at last remain in
trance, stopping all breathing. Some of them, curtailing the eating process, offer
the outgoing breath into itself, as a sacrifice.

30) All these performers
who know the meaning of sacrifice become cleansed of sinful reaction, and, having
tasted the nectar of the remnants of such sacrifice, they go to the supreme
eternal atmosphere.

31) O best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live happily
on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?

32) All these different
types of sacrifice are approved by the Vedas, and all of them are born of
different types of work. Knowing them as such, you will become liberated.

33) O chastiser of the
enemy, the sacrifice of knowledge is greater than the sacrifice of material
possessions. O son of Prtha, after all, the sacrifice
of work culminates in transcendental knowledge.

34) Just try to learn the
truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and
render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because
he has seen the truth.

35) And when you have thus
learned the truth, you will know that all living beings are but part of Me--and that they are in Me, and are Mine.

36) Even if you are
considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the
boat of transcendental knowledge, you will be able to cross over the ocean of
miseries.

37) As the blazing fire
turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire
of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.

38) In this world, there is
nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental
knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who has
achieved this enjoys the self with himself in due course of time.

39) A faithful man who is
absorbed in transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses quickly attains
the supreme spiritual peace.

40) But ignorant and
faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God
consciousness. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world
nor in the next.

41) Therefore, one who has
renounced the fruits of his action, whose doubts are destroyed by
transcendental knowledge, and who is situated firmly in the self, is not bound
by works, O conqueror of riches.

42) Therefore the doubts
which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the
weapon of knowledge. Armed with yoga, O Bharata,
stand and fight.

43) Thus Bhaktivedanta sings the
song of Sri Gita, with the hope that hearing this,
Krsna conscious pure devotees will be pleased.